Wearable technology has seen wrist-worn devices surge in popularity but as the internet of things IoT ecosystem expands smart rings will be the wearable type with the most growth in 2019 Smart rings are IoT-enabled electronic devices that allow users to carry out all of the functions typically enabled by smartphones and other mobile devices without the need to be tethered to one They can not only be used as jewellery but can even be used to connect smartphones enable activity tracking and make contactless payments For instance rings can enable users to receive calls text messages and emails and share digital information such as pictures videos and contact information stored on their smartphones through simple controls and without even accessing smartphone screens Smartphones arent the only device that smart rings can connect to The devices can also enable consumers to get instant notifications from activity trackers and other such connected devices Such rings operate through gesture control and are equipped with chips and sensors that allow them to perform a wide selection of functions The applications driving smart ring adoption Growing consumer health consciousness is a key factor driving demand for smart ringsSuch rings can be used to monitor heartbeat footsteps blood pressure and pulse rates and track stress levels and sleeping patterns By enabling access control and user authentication smart rings also enable safe contactless mobile payments However it is the increasing sophistication of network technologies that is making this technology possible and appealing to users Expanding IoT ecosystems are growing the capabilities and use of connected devices such as smartphones tablets wearables and easily accessible smart connectivity devices In addition increasing adoption of cloud computing applications will also drive demand for smart rings as cloud platforms provide storage and on-demand accessibility to data that is essential for many of the functions of smart rings to work Lower prices and longer battery lives are also making the devices more appealing to consumers Android seeing wearables rise While such rings are designed to be able to work on various operating systems such as Microsoft Windows Android and iOS those designed for Android are gaining more prominence due to a large global user base of active Android devices and easy compatibility of these devices with other products Bluetooth-enabled smart rings continue to dominate the market as these devices can easily be integrated with smart devices On the other hand the adoption of NFC-enabled smart rings is comparatively low as they need Wi-Fi connectivity for integration with smartphones At present the key players operating in the smart rings market include McLear Motiv Fujitsu Mota Group Logbar and Ringly However some companies are focusing on the development of advanced smart rings with personal access control and security features For example in January 2018 McLear and Bankwest signed a partnership agreement to introduce Bankwest Halo Australias first payment smart ring